Chaliyar… The Final Struggle

1958: The Government of Kerala, persuades the Birlas to open a factory in Mavoor, North Kerala.

The GRASIM rayon pulp factory is open for the last 38 years. Thousands of workers earn their living trading future lives for the present. The fumes wing their way to the neighborhood spreading disease and death. Effluents gurgle into the Chaliyar River poisoning everything on its way to the sea.

At a time when environmental activism was unheard of, a man leads his people to save their river and their lives from the killer factory.

Their dream is to see their river come back to life, and fishes leap in the sun.

A river, her people and a factory that gobbles all our precious natural resources and pollutes our land lives, form the principal characters of this video film.

Script & Direction: P Baburaj & C Saratchandran

35 Mts/1999-2001/English/Beta-SP/DV/Mini DV

Awards

• A Special Mention, MIFF 2000
• The Bronze Tree Award, Vatavaran 2002

Festivals

• Chingari VideoFest 1999, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Prakriti Festival 1999, Bhopal
• Mumbai International film Festival(MIFF) 2000
• Goat Island Film festival 2000
• Recontres Internationales, 2000
• Vatavaran 2002
• Vidyapeeth film festival 2004 Gujarat
• Quotes From The Earth New Delhi 2004
• We Feel Responsible Film Festival 2005

Press Reports

In the death of a river rests a story. But the real story is about the rejuvenation of a dying river. It is about humans getting together to save their lifeline, the river. Chaliyar – the final struggle is a film that frames this story; an ode to the untiring zest of a people.”

“Hard-hitting, sharply edited and intended to leave a strong impact”

Terra Green Issue 10, 15 April 2002